Mad Mom - A College Graduate

Today, I finished college. It hasn't set in yet so that still seems like a dream statement. Off to the real world! Wait.. I'm already in the real world!!

As a twenty-something mother, my education is worth more than the tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. I am the first in my family to obtain a bachelor's degree. My son will be there when I walk across the stage (even though he's too young to retain that memory or even know what's going on). Not only am I getting my degree but I'm teaching my son the value of dedication and hard work.

Believe me, I know college isn't for everyone. It is an unfortunately harsh reality that in today's job market you need a degree to even be considered let alone competitive. Now that I'm finally done, I have something that will hopefully keep me with some sort of fragment of a chance at stable employment (but you never know anymore).

My college career lasted 7 long years. Through these 7 years I reflect and think about how much my life has changed. I orginally went to college right out of high school. Then two years later I decided to get a full time job and move out on my own. College became secondary to my new responsibilities. Years went by and suddenly I'm a wife, homeowner, then a mother... and still not done with school. My high school peers are out of college expoloring what the world holds for them. And there I was, still working at it.

Typically, college students go for their degree, it takes four years and they graduate at the ripe old age of 22. Some of them never even hold a full time job, pay rent, or have any form of major responsibility. I was looking at my intern today (yes, I have a staring problem) and thinking about how we're both graduating from college and what different worlds we live in. She is free from real responsibility and has the ability to put full focus on starting her career. I, on the other hand, have already started my career along with piling up a multitude of other responsibilities.

So, as a recent college graduate, am I on the same playing field as the younger twenty-somethings? I have experience, that's a plus. But does my mear three years of experience they don't have elevate me above the competition?

As a mom, wife, and home owner I have more at stake when it gets down to the nitty-gritty. Now that I've FINALLY finished college, I have a credential that I can carry with me for the rest of my career. With that said, I have my education to thank for the AWESOME job I have. I love going to work everyday.

Mad Mom, Class of 2009

Banana Bonkers

Now that school's out, here's another great mocktail to share with the kiddos!

INGREDIENTS
3 bananas
3 cups fresh grapefruit juice
2 cups lemon sherbet
1 cup crushed ice


DIRECTIONS
Puree bananas in a blender or food processor. In a gallon pitcher combine pureed bananas, grapefruit juice, lemon sherbet and crushed ice. Mix and enjoy!

**And for the Mad Mom adult version: Switch out a cup of the juice for a bit of rum. Captain Morgan will do the trick! The grapefruit juice adds a refreshing burst of citrus but the rum will add a refreshing burst of something else! ;)

Mad Mom's Guide to Teething

Well, 4 teeth down, how many more to go? That's right... baby's teething! It's funny, you here the horror stories about how babies constantly scream and cry when they're cutting teeth, but it's actually before the teeth are cutting my baby is fussy.

It seems like it takes weeks for these tricky little teeth to rear their cute pearly goodness. It's hard to tell at first if the baby's teething. The first thing I noticed was he was drooling so much! We had to keep a bib on him and contemplated attaching some sort of drool catching contraption to his chin to collect all the "strings" of drool that incessantly hung from his lips. If you wanted to hold my kid you had better get on your rain coat and rubber gloves!

This started a few weeks before it even looked like any teeth were going to come in. After the constant drool calmed down, his gums got red and puffy. This was the sure sign of teething. Anything and everything went into his mouth. We did invest in teething rings, but he doesn't like them. I think they're too hard. He really loves to chew on his bottles' nipples. This is a bad habit to get into though because once those four front teeth are all the way in, he'll bite right through that nipple and milk will be everywhere... Speaking of, I gotta hand it to those moms who are still breastfeeding at this point! OUCH!!!

Anyway, my baby was at his fussiest when his gums were inflamed. I'd seriously have to hold him all day until he'd just fuss himself to sleep. We'd try everything... bottles, Oral Gel, teething rings, change of scenery... nothing worked. He just wanted his mommy to hold him. That's really cute and all and someday I'm sure I'll wish I were right back there, but Mommy needs a break! There's only so much whining and crying a person can take. My hubby is now working in the evenings so that leaves Mom up for baby time all night. That's wonderful and I really enjoy the time we get to play together. But... after a long day at work, I just want to relax. Can your teeth wait until tomorrow?

One time my husband and I were so desperate he actually did the whiskey trick. I cringed when I saw him reaching his finger in the bottle of Crown Royal (secretly wanting to rip the bottle from his hands and take a big long gulp!). He stuck his finger in the baby's mouth and more cries to the tune of What-in-God's-Name-is-That-Nasty-Stuff!? I hate to say it, but it worked. That was the first and last time that's happening. I felt so guilty getting my 6 month old liquored up so we could have some peace. Hey if our parents and our parents' parents did it, what's the worst that could happen? We didn't turn out so bad... except for the occasional binge on the weekends. Kidding!

So all of you Mad Moms who have teething babies, here are some great tips I got from my Twitter Tweeps: (I have omitted the obvious Baby OraGel and teething ring tips-you already know those!)

• Make ice cubes of formula or breast milk and let the baby suck and chew on them.
• Clean and peel a carrot for the baby to chew on. (My baby LOVES this -and it works!)
• Make a slushy nipple: Use an old bottle nipple, fill it with juice, water or milk, seal it up as you wish, and freeze it till it's slushy- my little guy would prefer this one since the teethers are too hard.